Car-fender.



No. 888,656. 'PATENTE'D MAY 26,1908.

J. A. ROGAN.

GAR FENDER.

APPLIOAI'I OKIILED JULY 19, 1907.

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PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

J. A. ROGAN.

GAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1907.

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No. 888,656. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908;

' J. A. ROGAN.

GAR FENDER.

APE'LIOATION FILED JULY 19. 1907.

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JOHN A. HOGAN, OF PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application filed July 19, 1907. Serial No. 384,528.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. RoeAN, of Plymouth, in the county ofPlymouth and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification in explaining its nature.

My invention relates to an improvement in car fenders of that character in which the relative position of the fenders becomes changed when impact is made against an object located in the path of the car, the relative change in the position of the fenders being such that they will pick up an object with more absolute surety than-in their normal position of arrangement.

The essential object of my invention is to provide an improved means of simple constructionand facile operation by which the change in the position of the fenders may be accomplished.

It is the further object of my invention to provide means which will automatically act to prevent the lifting of the main fender after it has dropped. Unless some means is provided for accomplishing this, the fender might become lifted by the impact of an obj ect bearing against the same so that the object might roll under the fender.

Not only is it my object to provide means to automatically prevent the lifting of the fender after it has once dropped, but it is my further object to arrange this means whereby the release thereof may very easily be obtained, as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

My invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in side elevation a portion of the front endof a car fitted with my improved fender. Fig. 2 shows a plan of the same. Fig. 3 shows a section on the line 3*3 of Fig. 2, the relative position of the fenders, however, being changed as will hereinafter be explained, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a diagrammatic sketch to which reference will hereinafter be made.

In the drawings:-Arepresents a portion of the body of a car of which (1 represents the front end sill and c (1. represent portions of the side sills connecting therewith.

B, B represent the fenders of which E is the primary fender and B the secondary or auxiliary fender. The'fenders are supported and arranged to be drawn out in front of the body of the car or pushed back underneath the same by the following arrangement of parts: Dependent from the side sills a a are slotted straps a Secured to these straps by fastenings a extending through the slots of the straps are the slideways a 0. preferably formed of angle iron, presenting inturned edges or flanges a on which are arranged to slide the slidings or carriages a a joined by a connecting brace or bar a. Dependent from the carriages a a are supports a to which, respectively, are secured plates at, (1, connected by a brace rod a. The car fenders are supported through connections which connect with these plates and accordingly through their indirect connection with the carriages a a the fenders are supported to slide in and out relatively to the car body.

In order that the carriages a a may not leave the slideways provided for them, stops 0. a are provided at the ends of the respective slideways. After the fenders have been drawn out in front of the body of the car they are held in place by means of a lever a" pivoted by a pin a to the brace bar a connecting the sliding carriages. This lever is slightlylonger than the space between the inturned edges a of the slideways and when turned into an operative position its ends are adapted to enter slots a a formed therein (see lever o in full lines of Fig. 4). The release of the carriages so that the fenders may be pushed back beneath the car body, is obtained simply by turning the lever a" so that its ends will be free from their interlocking engagement with the slideways (see lever a in dotted lines of Fig. 4).

I will now refer to the mounting and operation of the fenders: The fender B is mounted upon a roda interposed between the plates 12) 13 is one approximately parallel with the ground. The fender is so mounted'upon the rod (1 that the forward portion of the fender will drop when occasion occurs, as will hereinafter be explained. For obtaining this action I prefer to mount the fender fixedly upon the rod a and journal the ends of this rod in the plates o (7, furnishing a bearing therefor. The rod a accordingly furnishes pivotal support for the fender. Inasmuch as the fender rests upon this rod at a point The normal position of this fender 5 normal position approximately parallel to and so away from the ground there are piv otally secured to the back end rod 1) of the fender, links b 11 These links connect with a transverse rod 6 the ends of which are con-n.

tained in slots a, (1 formed in the respective side plates a, 0. These slots have the following disposition: The forward end a of each of the slots is so disposed that when the ends of the rod 1) are contained therein the fender B will be held in a mean position of placement approximately parallel to and so away from the ground. From their for ward portions a each of the slots incline upwardly and back by a portion a, the ends of the transverse bar being guided to pass into these inclined portions of the slot by engagement with the inclined edges (1 thereof. Beyond the inclined portions (L the slots are continued by rear end extensions a. Now it will be observed that when the transverse bar I) is thrown back its ends, normally contained in the forward end portions a of the slots, will ride up on the inclined edges c thereof into the upwardly and backwardly inclined slotted portions The effect will then be obtained that the rear end of the fender B or that portion thereof in the rear of its pivotal support will be lifted while the forward portion of the fender will be forced down into a position nearer the ground.

I have so arranged that the force tending to throw back the transverse bar 6 and lift the rear end of the fender B for depressing the forward portion thereof shall be a force generated by the impact of a means extending beyond the forward end of the fender B, against an object in the path of the car, said means being thrown back by the impact of such object and acting to transmit its motion to the transverse bar for throwing it back and actuating the fender B as before described. The means I have provided for accomplishing this operation is the auxiliary fender B which is arranged to rest upon the fender B and to extend beyond the forward end thereof. The fender B is provided with a back end transverse bar b with which there pivotally connect the links b b before referred to, which are secured to the transverse bar If and are pivotally connected, also, with the rear end bar of the main fender B, these links being simply extended from the transverse bar to pivotally connect with the rear end bar of the upper or auxiliary fender B as above described.

The operation briefly is as follows :When the auxiliary fender B contacts with an object in the path of the car, the fender is thrown back by the impact and through the links 1), b pivotally connecting therewith, acts to throw back the transverse rod 1) from its normal position resting in the forward ends of the slots a, a. As this rod is thrown back it enters the upwardly inclined portions of the slots and accordingly tends through the same connecting links to draw up the rear end of the main fender B and depress the forward end thereof in the manner before described. As the main fender B drops the auxiliary fender B drops with it, for as before explained the auxiliary fender simply rests upon the main fender and by reason of its pivotal connection with the links Z), b is enabled to drop any distance commensurate with the drop of the main fender. After the auxiliary fender has been forced back by the contacting object its extension is such that it will still extend forward of the main fender and, occupying an inclined position as it does, as shown in the full lines of Fig. 3, its end will accordingly assume a position very close to the ground. In some instances the object in the path of the car may be such that when the auxiliary fender contacts with it the fender will be thrown back and up, as illustrated in the upper dotted position of the fender shown in Fig. 3. In such case the auxiliary fender still acts to cause the drop of the main fender at the same time it forms therewith a pocket into which the imp acting object may roll and be contained.

With means such as I have described the amount or degree of drop which it is desired the fenders to have may very easily be pro- -vided for. Oftentimes circumstances require that the fenders should be located in the first instance at a certain predetermined position above the track on which the car is running in order to freely clear the roadbed between the rails, and afterwards the drop of the fenders should preferably be so arranged that they will not contact with the roadbed but drop to a position very near the same.

Now for normally positioning the fenders I have arranged that the slideways a a by which the fenders are supported through the intermediary of the sliding carriages and their connecting parts, may be vertically adjustable so that the fenders may be ad iusted to hang at any desired position above the roadbed. The means for this adjustment stops being made adjustable by fastening the same to said plate by the respective fasten ings a of, extending through slots cut in said respective stops. Of these stops, the stop a is so arranged that by adjusting the stop the amount of elevation of the main fender B may be determined and so the amount of drop of the fender end thereof. By adjusting the stop a the amount of drop of the auxiliary fender B is determined, the fender as it drops contacting with this stop.

I will now refer to an arrangement whereby the fender B may be held in place after its drop has once occurred, otherwise, as before explained, the fender might become lifted by an impacting object especially if the fender B were thrown upwardly by the impact of the object in the first instance. For accomplishing my object I provide a holder 0. This holder comprises a portion 0 pivotally ar ranged upon the fixed bar a for the holder to turn pivotally thereon. From the portion 0 of the holder there projects an arm a bent at the end so as to fit around or engage with the bar I) on the rear end of the main fender B after the drop of the fender. From the portion 0 of the holder there also extends an arm 0 which passes up and by its bent end 0 fits loosely around the bar 6 on the rear end of the auxiliary fender B By its connection with the rod 6 on the end of the fender B the arm -0 of the holder has the same backward and forward movement as the auxiliary fender B which causes the holder to turn at the point 0 upon the bar a and its arm to assume an engaging or disengaging position with respect to the bar I) on the end of the main fender B, the engaging position of said arm being obtained after the auxiliary fender has been thrown back causing the drop of the main fender as before described. At that time by its engagement the arm 0 forms a toggle or link of connection between the bar I) on the rear end of the main fender and the fixed bar 0., which absolutely prevents the turning down of the rear end of the main fender and consequently the raising of the forward end thereof- This operation can be better understood by an examination of the diagrammatic sketch shown in Fig. 5. In this sketch I have shown the holder C arranged on the bar a in its relative position to the bars b, b on the rear ends of the respective fenders, the dotted representation of these bars I), b corresponding with their relative position when the fenders are in a normal position, while the representation of these bars I), b in full lines corresponds with their relative position after the auxiliary fender has been thrown back and the drop of the main fender. From this sketch it will be seen that in their dotted position the bars I), b occupy a more acute angular position with respect to the bar a than do these bars when occupying the position shown in full lines. The angular position of the two engaging arms of the holder remains the,same, the angle between the arms corresponding practically with the angular disposition of the bars I), b with respect to the bar a when the bars I), b are in the relative positions as shown in the full lines. This position corresponds, as said before, with the position of said bars when the auxiliary fender has become thrown back and the main fender dropped. Accordingly at this time the holder will be so moved that its arm 0 will engage the bar I) of the main fender and hold the fender in place as before described. When the auxiliary fender is drawn back into its normal position the motion thereof not only lifts the main fender but turns the holder on the bar a so that the arm 0 of the holder will become turned away or into a position of disengagement with respect to the bar I), for when the fenders have become restored to their normal positions the angular position of the bars I), b with respect to the ar (1 is less than the angle between the arms of the holder.

In connection with the means above described for holding the main fender in place after it has been dropped, it will be noted that the action of the means is entirely automatic, the means being operated by the auxiliary fender. Besides, the release of the retaining means is occasioned simply by restoring the fenders to ,a normal position without the necessity of any extraneous release.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a device of the character specified, thecombination with a fender of a support therefor upon which said fender may turn pivotally, releasable means comprising a shifting support connecting with said fender for maintaining it in a normal position by the application of force at a point back of said pivotal support, and a bearing in which said shifting support is loosely mounted whereby upon changing the position of said shifting support in said bearing the fender will be turned pivotally thereby and caused to drop into an engaging position.

2. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of a pivotal support therefor upon which said fender'may turn pivotally, releasable means for holding said fender in a normal position by the application of force at a point back of said pivotal support, whereby upon the release and elevation of said holding means it will turn said fender and cause the fender to drop into an engaging position, and means for effecting the dislodgment and elevation of said holding means.

3. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of means for pivotally mounting said fender whereby it may drop by the elevation of a part extending back of the pivotal point of said fender, releasable means connecting with said rearextending part for maintaining the fender in a normal position when said releasable means is in an operable position, and means for causing the backward dislodgment and elevation of said releasable means from its operable position as aforesaid.

4. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of a mounting therefor upon which said fender may turn pivotally, means for maintaining said fender in a normal position by the application of force at a point in the rear of its pivotal mounting, and a bearing or bearings in which said supporting means may be moved backwardly and upwardly with respect to said pivotal mounting upon the application thereto of a backward thrust.

5. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of a pivotal mounting therefor, a transverse bar located above the rear end portion of said fender or part connecting therewith back of said pivotal mounting, means connecting said transverse bar and the rear-extending part or portion of said fender, and means for freely supporting said bar whereby it may be elevated when subjected to the force of a backward thrust.

6. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of a mounting therefor upon which the fender may pivotally turn, a transverse bar located above a part or portion of said fender extending to the rear of its pivotal mounting, a connection between said bar and said rear-extending part or portion of said fender pivotally con.- necting therewith, and a frame providing slotted ways in which the ends of said trans verse bar are adapted to be contained for holding said fender in a normal position, or upon the application of a backward thrust to said bar permitting and causing the elevation thereof.

7. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a fender of a support providing a pivotal mounting therefor, an auxiliary fender located above and extending beyond the forward end of said fender, pivoted links connecting the rear end portions of said fenders, said links connecting with-said main fender at a point in the rear of its pivotal mounting, a transverse bar connecting with said links, and a frame providing slotted ways in which the ends of said transverse bar are adapted to be contained and held for holding said bar and fenders in a normal position and permitting and guiding said transverse bar to be moved upwardly and backwardly upon the imparting of force to the forward end of said auxiliary fender.

8. In a device of the character specified, the combination of a main fender, a pivotal support therefor upon which said fender may turn, an auxiliary fender superimposed upon said main fender, means operable by said auxiliary fender for controlling said main fender, and a pivotal connection between said auxiliary fender and said means whereby said auxiliary fender may fall with said main fender or swing upwardly therefrom.

9. The combination witha car of slideways connecting therewith, said slideways being provided with inturned edges, carriages mounted upon said slideways to slide thereon, a brace bar connecting said carriages, a lever pivoted to said brace bar and adapted to engage the inturned edges of said slideways for maintaining said carriages in a proper adjusted position, and a fender carried by said carriages.

10. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a main and auxiliary fender of means for holding said fenders in a normal position whereby said main fender may be made to drop, and means operatable by said auxiliary fender for holding said main fender in place after the drop thereof.

11. In a device of the character specified, the combination with main and auxiliary fenders of means for holding said fenders in a normal position, means whereby said main fender may be caused to drop, and means releasable by operating said auxiliary fender for holding said main fender in place after the drop thereof.

12. In a device of the character specified,

the combination with main and auxiliary fenders of means for holding said fenders in a normal position, means whereby said main fender may be caused to drop, and means releasable by restoring said auxiliary fender to a normal position for holding said main fen der in place after the drop thereof.

18. In a device of the character specified, the combination with main and auxiliary fenders of means for holding said fenders in a normal position, means whereby said main fender is caused to drop by a backward movement of said auxiliary fender, a holder connected to be operated by said auxiliary fender and engaging with said main fender for holding the same in place after the drop thereof, and a support for said holder on which said holder is adapted to turn.

JOHN A. HOGAN.

IVitnesses:

JOHN E. R. HAYEs,

M. E. FLAHERTY. 

